FAA Enforces Flight Restrictions at Denver’s Busiest General Aviation Airport
A sudden and sweeping set of FAA flight restrictions at Centennial Airport (KAPA), near Denver, Colorado, has sent shockwaves through the general aviation community. The FAA has prohibited touch-and-goes, limited parallel departures, and curtailed pattern work at one of the nation’s busiest general aviation airports — handling over 300,000 operations per year — without issuing a NOTAM or updating the airport’s ATIS to inform pilots.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) raised immediate concerns about the lack of advance notice, calling the move unprecedented. According to an email sent by the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority to airport tenants, FAA controllers were ordered to “immediately cease simultaneous parallel departure operations at Centennial until approved mitigations can be identified.” The FAA cited potential conflicts between departing IFR and VFR traffic on the airport’s closely spaced parallel runways as the reason for the action.
AOPA Northwest Mountain Regional Manager Brad Schuster said the restrictions are already pushing training flights to nearby airports, increasing traffic — and potential safety concerns — at those fields. Flight schools, instructors, airport businesses, and other users at KAPA are all being affected. Both AOPA and the Arapahoe County Airport Authority have requested an urgent meeting with FAA officials to work out a solution.
Source: AVweb – FAA Bans Touch-and-Goes at Centennial Airport (October 9, 2026)